Multiple-unit control system.



PATENTED MAY 22, 1906. G & O. M. CLARK.

H. M. HARDIN MULTIPLE UNIT CONTROL SYSTEM.

1 APPLICATION FILED JAN. 6, 1906.

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' Ta a/ll whont it mmy'concernfl 'UNIT-ED STATES P 'rEN-r oFrroE. i

.IHENIRY'ML HARDING, on NEW YORK, N. Y., AND OHARLESMABTIN CLARK,

OF SUMMIT; NEW JERSEY. MULTIPLE-UNIV?CONTROL sY's E M.

Specification of Letters Patent.

. Patented. May 22, 1906.

Applicatiozr'filcd January 6, 1906-, Serial No. 291,888

Be it known that we, HENR M. HARDING,

residing at the city of New'York, borough'of Manhattan, and State f New York, and CHARLES MARTIN-CLARK, residing at Summit,

county of Union,-and State of New Jersey,

citizens,of-. the United-States, have invented,

1 certain new and useful lmprovements i'n.

' 'Multip le-Unit Control Systems, of which: the

following'is a full, clear, and exact descrip.

tion. Y

Our invention relates, to a control system particularly adapted to electric trains operated by separate or"individual motor units upon the several cars. This 'is the common method of runningelectrictrains, especially in municipal traction,- andthe-control is commonly effected by an operating or'pilot'circuit having two or more wires joined'to eX- tend throughout the length of the train and included in the circuits of pilot-motors or othermagnetic devices upon these'veral cars,

l by which their controllers areset to zero position, fullspeed forward, full speedmversr.

or any intermediate relation. So. far as we invention' we-sec'ure' a complete multipleunit control system. in which the -m'otors of .1 all the cars are controlled to zero, full speed.

forward, full speed reverse, or any intermediate relation by a single. pilot-wire joined; to

' extend throughout the train.- v

Our invention consists in the construction,

combination, location,- and arrangement of circuitsand'parts by which the foregoing purposes are carried out, as hereinafter set forth and shown, and finally particularly pointed out in the appended claims.. I

The drawm" .illustrates a diagrammatic arrangement 0 circuits for securing a multi-. ple-unit system embodying the;pr inciples of ourinvention. I

A common method of securing a multipleunit control-of trains is by having 'two or more wires leading to -,the' armature-circuits I ,o'perat'e'any arrangement based upon'thi's of pilot-motors throughout the train, which may be caused .to rotate in either direction by reversing the current through the -p'ilot-' wires. It is evident that it is impossible to principle with less-than two pilot-wires, be-

cause the potential of the respective pilot wires is necessarily "alternated or inter changed -in this case, the positivebecoming negative and the negative positive, so that a constantly neutral ground-return cannot be made use of, it being understood that the pilot-current has to-be' obtained from 'the' power-circuit. By the present invention We secure all the necessary resultstin. a different way by a'slngle pilot-wire and track-return and without necessitating a reversal of current or'potntial in said wire or track-return. Referring to the drawing; in which like .parts are designated "by the same reference-- sign, A andB are similar diagrams indicating the wiring upon two cars of the train. l O designates the usual tra'ck-rails, and D five hundred v olts'L' which may be of Widely-,difierent forms in Upon each "car we arrange magnetic means practice, but in any case'should be diiferentially wound; so thata continuous current passed therethrough will, traversethe succes sive windings, producing a neutral magnetic 4 effect; We haye shown solenoids 10 "upon theseveral cars having differential or opo'sed' windings v11 12. l3ndesignates-cores or the solenoids," which are spring-held in the central position shown by any.s1iitable springs 14. It isobvious thatthis'construc-l tion is merelyan exemplary and largely dia grammatimone, the essential feature being a movablepart elastical y tion', said-magnetic device having opposed merely some form of magneltiiiieviceldiaving e in m -p0s1-.

or differential windings in continuous series a circultwith one another so as to act onthe indvablepart. v

The ma etic devices above mentionedyand particular --the-soleno ids 10, as shown, are

energized cm the power or controller .cir

cuit'; .In'the drawing the connections are shown at '15 and 16, by which the fivedrun- 'dred-volt current from the trolley D is successively passed through the coils 11 anlii 12 e groun or trac reuntil finally it enters t turn C through the wires 16. In this we.

the coils 11 and l2arenormally energize but as their magnetioeflects oppose one an- 1 i I other-the core or armature 13' Is not acted upon, but remains in its mid-position under g the influence of the springs 14-.

The pilot-wire-is 'indicatedf'at i7 in the drawing and extends through the successive cars, being joined at the couplings by the tween the opposed or differential windin s,

as clearly shown in the drawing. It will e seen that the branches 19 are symmetrically connected between the opposed or differential windings 11 and 12 at a point corresponding to about half the entire potential drop through the com lete ma netic device. The pilot-wire 17 is a ditiona yconnected to controllers upon the several cars by branch connections 20. with controller-arms 21.

22 indicates resistance-contacts 'in the path of the arms 21 and arranged in separate series respectively joined to the trol ey D and the track-return C.

23 and 24 indicate these respective connections;

The above constitutes all the essential features of our control system-namely, the magnetic devices having the difierential or opposed windings and the single pilot-wire circuit joined to said magnetic devices at a oint intermediate the differential windings. In order to show the invention practica ly applied, however, we have indicated at 25 the controller-shafts on the several cars, having pinions 26 thereon meshing with rack-sections 27 upon the cores or armatures 13.

28 indicates dash-pot devices for renderin the movement of the parts more uniform an steady. a

The operation is as follows: Supposin the pilot-controllers 21 of all the trains'to e in the position shown, the motor-controller shafts 25 will be correspondingly located at their mid-position corresponding to zero or off position of the motors. This occurs by reason of the five-'hundred-volt otential drop from the trolley D being equally distributed between the -wmdin gs 11 and 12 of each solenoid 10, so that the springs 14 balance one another and serve, to ether with the magnetic action of the so enoid as a wholejto hold the core 13 in mid-position, correspondingly positioning the pinions 26 and the motor-controllers 25. It is obvious that in this action the potential falls regularly through the successive windings, so that at an intermediate oint of each solenoid to which is connects the branches 19 of the pilot-circuit the otential will be half-way between five hun red and zero or neutralnamely, two hundred and fifty volts. In other words, the pilot-wire 17 will under these circumstances eat a potential of about two hundred and fifty volts. If now the pilot-controller arm 21 on any car is swung upward, a connection is made throu h the resistance-contacts 22 with the branc es 23 from the trolley D, so that the potential of the pil0t-wire 17 is correspondingly raised a greater or less extent, de-

pendin upon the particular notch to which that pi ot-controller is moved; If the pilotcontroller is moved to the last notch, it is clear that all resistance is'cut out of the resistance-contacts 22 and the pilot-wire is directly connected to the trolley, so as to receive a otential of five hundred volts. The result 0 raising the otential of the pilot-wire 17 is to neutralize the windings 11 of all the magnetic devices 10 and increase the effect of the windings 12, which now being partly or whollyunopposed become effective to draw the movable element 13 in a direction to apply power at the motor-controllers 25. The amount of this movement, and thereby the amount of power applied by the motor-controllers, varies with the relative intensity of the effect of windings 11 and 12 and in turn with the degree of movement of the pilotcontroller arms 21. If the pilot-controller arms 21 are swung in the opposite direction or downward in the figure, the pilot-wire 17 will be directly or indirectly connected with the track-return Cand acquire a potential value less than two hundred and fifty volts and approaching zero as a limit. The effect of this .conditionis to neutralize the action of the windings 12 and strengthen the action of the windin s 11, so that the movable elements 13 of the magnetic'devioes are moved in the opposite direction to that above described and serve to reverse the 'power through the usual motor-controllers 25. Thus it will be seen that we secure a complete mul tiple-unit system which attains all the prac tical re uired conditions and by the use of a single pilot-wire or circuit extending through out the train and operable from any car thereof.

What we claim is 1. In a multiple-unit control system, a single pilot-wire extendin throughout the train, and means for control ing the motor-circuits of the several cars to forward, stop, or reverse conditions therefrom.

2. Inc. multiple-unit control system, a single pilot-wire extending throu hout the train, and branch connections in t e several cars for securing forward, stop, or reverse conditions of the car-motors by varying the potential of said pilot-wire.

3. In a multiple-unit control system, a single pilot-wire extending throughout the train,

ranch connections therefrom within the several cars, and magnetic devices within the several cars and operable from said pilot-wire for setting the motors to forward, zero, or reverse movement.

4. In a multiple-unit control system, a single pilot-wire extending throughout the train, magnetic devices within the several cars for controlling the motor-circuits thereof, and branch connections from said pilot-wire to said motor-circuits for arranging them in forward, zero or reverse relation of the motors.

IIO

, 5. In amultiple-unit control system, a single pilotjwire extending throughout-the train, magneticl devices within the several cars for controlling' -the smotor circuits thereof, and

branch connections from said pilot-wire for arranging said motor-circuits in any desired relation by' varying. the potential of saidpilotwire. v

6. In a multiple-unit control system, magnetic devices within the several cars having differential or opposed windings, a single pilotire extending throughout the train,

and connections from said pilot-wire to said' magnetic devices at posed Windin s. v V

7. In a mufiiple-unit control system, magnetic devices upon the several cars having oppoints between the opposed ordifierential windings, means for nor-' vmally impressin a. continuous c'urrent'in series through .sai opposedwindings, a pilotwire extending throughout the train, and branch connections from said pilot-wire to r said magnetic devices at points between the opposed windings.

8. In a multipleeunit control system, magnetic devices on the several, cars having op posed or Tdiflerential windings, means for impressingacontinuouseurrentinseries throu h said windings, a pilot-wire extending throug out the train and connected to said windings,

. and means for varying .thepotential of said pilot-wire hereb'y 'the' rdlative effect of the v opposed wiudingsofeach'magnetic device is a changed.

9. In a multiple-unit control s stem, a

.pilot wire extendiiig throughout t e train,

pilot-controller arms connected thereto, rcsistance-contacts in the path of said arms and respuctivelyconn'ected to the trolley and to the'track-return, andmagnetic devices upon the several cars for setting the motors to forward, zero or reverse rotation by the varying potential of said wire.

10. In a multiple-unit control system, mag

netic devices upon the several cars having op.- po'sed windings through which the potential drops from its maximum value tozero, a pilot-wire extending throughout the Strain,

and branch connections for varying the dis- ,tribution' ofthe potential drop through said windin 's of themagnetic devices. I 11. n amultiple-unit system, a magnetic device constantly energized by thepovr'rerv circuit, a pilot-wire connected to theiwin d 

